In his traditional Easter Sunday address to the faithful at the Vatican, where some 70,000 were gathered in Saint Peter’s square, the pope also expressed his “sadness” at news of the deadly bomb attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka.
Francis noted how in Libya violence has flared up again as Khalifa Haftar’s forces attacked Tripoli, seat of the UN-backed government.
“May conflict and bloodshed cease in Libya, where defenceless people are once more dying in recent weeks,” Francis said.
“I urge the parties involved to choose dialogue over force and to avoid reopening wounds left by a decade of conflicts and political instability.”